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Talking Space
By Gene Mikulka ,Mark Ratterman, Dr. Kat Robison, Larry Herrin, Heather Smith, and Sawyer Rosenstein (emeritus),NewsScienceNews Commentary
Talking Space episodes
- Episode 711: Water, Water, Everywhere…So you want to be a Martian? On October 1st NASA held an event at the Kennedy Space Center to explain more about the agency's push to send the first humans to Mars and our own Mark Ratterman was there and provides insights. We highlight Two Deserts, One Sky a project by Danielle Adams a doctoral candidate at the University of Arizona, and briefly discuss new solar power technology. United Launch Alliance (ULA) puts 100 successful launches in the books sending Mexico's Morelos-3 communications satellite into orbit on into orbit on October 2nd. However as the company looks toward Launch 101, the joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing heads into uncharted territory and uncertain waters as a launch services provider. The team discusses.the challenges that lay ahead for the firm.On September 28 NASA announced the confirmation that brine water has at certain times, been collecting on the surface of Mars. The initial report made on 4 August 2011 (which we discussed on Episode 334 ) was confirmed with a NASA press conference and the team examines the announcement itself, the reaction to the announcement in some circles, and the implications not only for NASA's planned human Mars exploration efforts, but for the future of human solar system exploration going forward.Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein,Panel members: Mark Ratterman, Kat Robison, Kassy Tamanini (CraftLass) & Gene Mikulka1 hr
- Episode 710: Orion in Waiting
We kick off the show with congratulations, an
upcoming celestial event, and follow ups to two previous stories. First anupdate to rocket engine manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne's attemptto purchase launch provider United Launch Alliance.We report on the preliminary results from the Ardbegdistillery experiment that flew to theInternational Space Station. We send congratulations to NASA's five new flight directorsincluding a name that the audience may recognize. So is the world going to end this week?Umm, no but we do have a an upcoming Lunar Eclipse on September27 for the Western Hemisphere,Europe, most of Africa, and parts of Asia to enjoy, local weatherpermitting! NASA TV will provide coverage starting8:00 PM EDT on Sunday 27 September,Midnight GMT September 28.NASA last week gave a status report on the progress of the Orion spacecraft, a
linchpin in NASA's human space exploration effort, with a probable delaywith the first piloted flight. The team examines the implications.The NASA Inspector General's Office released a report which casts some doubt on OrbitalATK'srecover plan to resume cargo flights to the International Space Station. Weshed some light of our own on the implied difficulties. Launch provider Blue Origin has decided to call Launch Complex 36 atCape Canaveral Air Force station home, not just to launch rockets but tobuild and test it's vehicles. We consider what this means for commercial spaceand the economy of Florida.Show recorded 9/21/2015
Hostthis week: Sawyer Rosenstein, Panel members: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, andKassy Tamanini (CraftLass)54 min - Episode 709:Make a Memory
We start off our sixth anniversary show with an update on the recent Soyuz missions and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko’s one year mission on the International Space Station, which has just passed the halfway point. From there, we bring things back down to Earth with a discussion on Aerojet Rocketdyne’s unsolicited $2B offer to purchase United Launch Alliance and the Department of Defense’s likely position on the offer.
Heading back off planet, we then jump into a discussion about the release of the most recent New Horizons photographs including one particular picture that shows a fantastic contrast between old and new geography on Pluto.
After wrapping up the news for this week, we all took some time to reflect on six years of Talking Space. We talk about the first show, and our favorite moments, including a live broadcast from STS-135, the final shuttle mission, a live interview with then relatively unknown CSA Astronaut Chris Hadfield from that same broadcast, meditate on some thoughts from NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, and on the future of space travel and Talking Space. We conclude the episode with a request to you, our audience - we want to hear your memories of the last six years too! Share with us on Twitter, Facebook, and G+ using the hashtag #TS6 or send us an email or audio clip to [email protected].
Thank you for six years of Talking Space, and we look forward to many more!
Show Recorded 9/14/2015
Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein
Panel members: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, Kat Robison, and Kassy Tamanini (CraftLass)
Audio Engineer: Kassy Tamanini (CraftLass)
59 min - Episode 708: Contrasts
HTV5 launched recently supporting International Space
Station resupply, successfully docking on 24 August, 2015. To learn more aboutthe Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency HTV Program see http://iss.jaxa.jp/en/htv/index.htmlFuture ISS resupply will also be supported by Orbital ATK via ULA's ATLAS Vcarrying the Cygnus capsule to Station. Dates have not been set yet for thoselaunches.Kat brings us some news about the Mars One Project and a
public debate at the recently concluded MarsSociety Conference to read more and for links to the video of the debate“Is Mars One Feasible?” check out this Tech Insider article http://www.techinsider.io/mars-one-mit-students-mission-not-feasible-debate-2015-8Mark after reading the NTSB
Accident Report for Virgin Galactic SpaceShip Two brings us his thoughtsabout that tragic test flight. To learn more about the FAA Office of CommercialSpace Transportation follow this link http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/Listen close and you’ll almost see the Kennedy Space
Center Visitor Complex “Forever Remembered” Exhibit. Gina Herlihy talks abouther experience of seeing it for the first time. If you have not seen this yetyou’ll find you can’t wait for your next trip to Florida’s Space Coast and KSC.Sawyer spoke with International Space Station Program
Manager Mike Suffredini just prior to his retirement. News about the ISS isalways interesting. Hear what we think about increasing the ISS to a sevenperson crew and going beyond 2024.Show Recorded 8/24/2015
Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panelmembers: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, Kathryn Robison and Gina Herlihy58 min - Episode 707: First HarvestSo what is that white stuff that NASA’s Dawn spacecraft found in Occator Crater on Ceres? What about that four mile high mountain or “pyramid”? We sort the wheat from the chaff. The International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 44 crew partook of the first edible harvest from the NASA’s VEGGIE experiment becoming the first humans to harvest food grown in space while on orbit. We highlight efforts to use Asteroids as fueling depots for future deep space missions, and mention the successful spacewalk conducted by cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Mikhail Kornienko on the station’s Russian segment. We look at an unusual experiment flying on board Japan’s HTV 5 cargo vehicle to be launched to the ISS on Sunday August 16th. CBS News had a worthy feature on light pollution and its impact on ground based astronomy, we visit the piece for comment.NASA Administrator Charles Bolden sent a letter to Congress saying due to Congressional action, NASA was forced to extend the launch services contract with Russia into 2019 to the tune of $490 Million. Eric Berger of the Houston Chronicle had some thoughts on that topic similar to our own and we debate. We visit the NTSB’s findings of the October 31 Virgin Galactic accident released on July 28th..Our Spinoff of the week: A NASA Sensor allows plants to send a text to farmers to say “Can I have some water, please?”Click Here for more information on the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS)Show recorded 8/3/2015Hosts this week: Kassy Tamanini a.k.a. CraftLass & Gene Mikulka58 min
- Episode 707: First HarvestSo what is that white stuff that NASA’s Dawn spacecraft found in Occator Crater on Ceres? What about that four mile high mountain or “pyramid”? We sort the wheat from the chaff. The International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 44 crew partook of the first edible harvest from the NASA’s VEGGIE experiment becoming the first humans to harvest food grown in space while on orbit. We highlight efforts to use Asteroids as fueling depots for future deep space missions, and mention the successful spacewalk conducted by cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Mikhail Kornienko on the station’s Russian segment. We look at an unusual experiment flying on board Japan’s HTV 5 cargo vehicle to be launched to the ISS on Sunday August 16th. CBS News had a worthy feature on light pollution and its impact on ground based astronomy, we visit the piece for comment. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden sent a letter to Congress saying due to Congressional action, NASA was forced to extend the launch services contract with Russia into 2019 to the tune of $490 Million. Eric Berger of the Houston Chronicle had some thoughts on that topic similar to our own and we debate. We visit the NTSB’s findings of the October 31 Virgin Galactic accident released on July 28th..Our Spinoff of the week: A NASA Sensor allows plants to send a text to farmers to say “Can I have some water, please?”Click Here for more information on the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS)Show recorded 8/3/2015Hosts this week: Kassy Tamanini a.k.a. CraftLass Gene Mikulka58 min
- Episode 706: Lost and Found
On this episode of Talking Space we begin with the preliminary conclusions released by SpaceX regarding the loss of CRS-7, leading into a discussion of the succession of resupply issues over the past year and how it might impact today’s commercial space race for future NASA contracts. Heading over to the purely commercial side of things we speculate on the National Transportation Safety Board’s public hearing on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two crash from last fall (which took place the morning after recording). Quickly shifting to much happier news we devote the bulk of the show to the New Horizons Pluto flyby with special commentary by our own intrepid on-the-scene reporter, Mr. Mikulka, who was at Johns Hopkins for all the festivities. From the images and data that rocked the very foundations of geological knowledge to international coverage and the incredible reach of this particular mission, we look at how New Horizons has and will change our ideas about our solar system. Speaking of images, we round things out with DSCOVR and its new Earth portraits before announcing a special plan to show NASA some more appreciation. Winding things up is this week’s Spinoff and one aspect of how space research is contributing to cleaner drinking water for people at all altitudes.
Show recorded 7/27/2015
Host this week: Kassy Tamanini a.k.a. CraftLass. Panel members: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, and Kathryn Robison.
Listen now:
59 min - Episode 705: From Soyuz to Solar Satellites
On this episode of Talking Space, we look at the duration records set by the recently-returned Expedition 43 crew, and a close look at why they were up there for so long (hint: the 2011 Soyuz age of reliability statement and a failed Progress launch come into play). Next we take a look at the mostly successful LDSD test and how a balloon can help us on Mars. Then it's onto a look at two recent satellite launches and their importance, LightSail and DSCOVR. We also discuss the Boeing CST-100 contract awarded by NASA and what that means for SpaceX, and we also look at SpaceX's pad abort test. Then it's on to everybody's favorite topic: the NASA budget, and what's being cut or funded this year. We finish off as always with our spinoff of the week, and this time it's Robonaut2 and what it's doing for robotics back on Earth with a company called Universal Robotics.
Show recorded: 5/21/2015
Host This Week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, Kathryn Robison and Kassy Tamanini aka Craft Lass
Listen now!
53 min - Episode 705: From Soyuz to Solar SatellitesOn this episode of Talking Space, we look at the duration records set by the recently-returned Expedition 43 crew, and a close look at why they were up there for so long (hint: the 2011 Soyuz age of reliability statement and a failed Progress launch come into play). Next we take a look at the mostly successful LDSD test and how a balloon can help us on Mars. Then it's onto a look at two recent satellite launches and their importance, LightSail and DSCOVR. We also discuss the Boeing CST-100 contract awarded by NASA and what that means for SpaceX, and we also look at SpaceX's pad abort test. Then it's on to everybody's favorite topic: the NASA budget, and what's being cut or funded this year. We finish off as always with our spinoff of the week, and this time it's Robonaut2 and what it's doing for robotics back on Earth with a company called Universal Robotics.Show recorded: 5/21/2015Host This Week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, Kathryn Robison and Kassy Tamanini aka Craft LassListen now!53 min
- Episode 704: A Lack of Progress
On this episode we bookend the whole conversation with the launch and loss of Progress 59 and the implications for the International Space Station and future resupply missions. Then we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope with some historic highlights and personal perspectives of the mission, along with a discussion about the upcoming end of the program and whether Hubble could or even should be extended, inspired by the op-ed by Donald F. Robertson featured on Space News that put forth the idea that there could be another Hubble servicing mission and John Morse’s rebuttal of the idea. Moving on to the more immediate future, we look into Dava Newman and her Senate confirmation as the new Deputy Administrator of NASA. While on the topic of Capitol Hill we go over the House Science Committee’s first swing at the next NASA budget and the notable changes in budget distribution that have been proposed. Could there be a special hope in the Senate, though? NASA’s lioness in Maryland, Barbara McCluskey just might be making this a feature of her last term, and we discuss her ideas as well as the political upside to supporting NASA. Finally, we round things out with our new weekly feature on NASA Spinoffs with an explanation of just what Nissan means by “zero gravity seats” (and why you just might want them).
Show recorded: 4/28/2015
Host This Week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka, Kathryn Robison and Kassy Tamanini aka Craft Lass
Listen now!
58 min
About Talking Space
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A Free and Open Exchange of Ideas and Opinions on All Things Space. If it's above the Kármán Line, it's on our radar. Now at https://talkingspaceonline.com!